About Russia

Nations of Russia

The Andins

The Andins call themselves the Andal, the Andny, the G'vanal. They live in Russia. The Andins have 25 thousand persons of population. The Andins is the aboriginal population of Daghestan; they are related with the Andian nations. The Andins speak the Andian language. There are 7 patois, which are united in 2 dialects - the Upper Andian and Lower Andian. The writing is based on the Russian writing. The Avarian, Russian and Chechen languages are common among the Andins. The Religion is the Islam of the Sunni kind.

Plinius the Senior mentioned the Andins in the first century AD. The Islam has been established in the XIV century. Before that, the Andins were introduced to the Christianity. The Andia was the federation of self-governing rural societies. There was the Andins Shamkhanate in the XIV-XV centuries. After the annexation of Dagestan to Russia, the Andins have participated in the Caucasian war. In 1921 the Andins became part of the Dagestan ASSR (from 1991 - the Republic of Daghestan).

The traditional occupations of the Upper Andins were agriculture and the Alpine cattle breeding and the Lower Andins - the specialized gardening.

Traditional family is not large. Traditional settlements are dense. City of Andy, as other settlements, has traditional medieval city topography. The Andins wear the Avarian type of clothes. The products of agriculture and cattle breeding, vegetables and fruits are the basis of the Andins nutrition. Dishes basically are local and the Caucasian.

Traditional entertainment is a horse gallop. The most significant events are weddings, the First Furrow Celebration, the End of the Fasting. The Andins have kept belief in magic and different spirits. Folklore is bilingual (the Andins and the Avarian).
NATIONS OF RUSSIA